“Abdullah ibn Masud used to say: When we missed a brother we would go to him, if he was ill we would visit him to console him, if he was busy we would help him in his work, and if he was otherwise it would just be a visit.

“Ibn Masud was asked: How did you [early Muslims] greet Ramadan? He said: None of us used to dare to greet the hilal [crescent moon, the sign of the beginning of the month of Ramadan] of Ramadan with an atom of grudge in his heart for his Muslim brother.

“The one who memorises the Qur’an must be known by the nights when people are sleeping. By his days when people are eating. By his sadness when people are rejoicing. By his weeping when people are laughing. By his silence when people are indulged in vain talk. And by his humility when people are boasting.